Legio Xestobiax
By all accounts, the Legio Xestobiax ("The Iron Vigil") -- is one of the lesser known Titan Legions of the Collegia Titanica. Rated as a Tertius grade Titan Legion at the end of the Great Crusade, the defensively-minded Iron Vigil has never fought in the great battles of this era, relegated to secondary battlefields and infrequent Compliance actions. In fact, the Titan Legion which hails from the distant Forge World of Zhao-Arkhad, deep in the galactic south, has more of a checkered past than many would readily believe. The Legion has only recently been declared Officio Fidelitas -- loyal to the Emperor -- and if circumstances had been different, this Titan Legion might well now be counted amongst the enemies of the Imperium of Man and not its defenders. Therefore, it is almost ironic that the Legion's greatest achievement, its participation in the Burning of Prospero, has been all but forgotten and most historical tomes do not even mention their participation in that victory which began the era of the Horus Heresy. Long shunned for their role in this battle and the ties they indirectly once held with the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion, the Legio Xestobiax was deemed guilty by association and marked for execution before the Adeptus Mechanicus revised their sentence after the end of the Heresy and steadily purged both the Iron Vigil and their parent forge from the hereteknical beliefs that had festered in their hearts, thus returning them to the purity of the Machine God. Legion History Septum Caelestis Ues]] Throughout its long Terran millennia of isolation and the turmoil of its more recent history, very little is known about the Legion's early years before it came to be the "Iron Vigil." As with most extant Titan Legions, it is presumed that the first of the Legio Xestobiax's war engines were part of the initial expedition that founded the new Forge World of Zhao-Arkhad. The Forge World's own existent data-archives confirm this, although no trace can be found as to which greater Forge World produced the first Titans of the Legio Xestobiax. In fact, no established Forge World has been recorded to have despatched an expedition to the galactic south. What little evidence remains indicates a foundation pre-dating the formation of the Imperium of Man but cannot be more specific. From these truly ancient times, the Legio Xestobiax conserves a single reminder, the crippled ''Warlord''-class Titan Munus Aeternum which now rests in the vaults deep beneath the forge-fane of the Supreme Domini on Zhao-Arkhad. The Munus Aeternum ''is not listed in the roster of any existing Titan Legion and the details as to which battle or battles left it in such a lamentable state have since been consigned to oblivion. Like many things concerning the ''Legio Xestobiax, its very existence thickens the mystery around the true origins of the Iron Vigil. Thanks to the Arkhadian Mechanicum, sources describing the first years on Zhao-Arkhad are more numerous. Several accounts relate how it was only through the devastating weaponry of the Legio Xestobiax that the first forge-fane survived against the hordes of macro-predators lingering in Zhao-Arkhad's tropical jungles. This means that very much from its inception as an independent Titan Legion, the Legio Xestobiax has been a defensive force against the multiple horrors that plagued the Zhao System, be they beast or xenos. Given the severely corrosive effects of Zhao-Arkhad's atmosphere, which even the hardiest materials could not resist, the Arkhadian Mechanicum quickly decided to relocate the Legion's headquarters to the moon of Arkhad III, with smaller garrisons spread on the other Arkhadian moons of Arkhad I and II in order to defend the Forge World's nascent lunar colonies. Intended at first to be a merely temporary solution, these deployments or "Vigils" as they were known, became near-permanent formations, each distinguished by the individual Vigil they upheld. Thus was the Legion's cognomen of "The Iron Vigil" born. While overall the Legion maintained its identity as the Legio Xestobiax, assignment to these individual Vigils became second nature to the Legion and many of their battle-honours memorialise only the Vigil the victorious Titans belonged to. For instance, the 14th Battle of Istiam Station -- a gruesome, destructive siege conducted by elements of several nomadic Eldar fleets, or "Craftworlds" -- is celebrated as a resounding victory for the entire Legion, but its battle-honour is borne only by the two Maniples of the Istiam Vigil. This scattered deployment means that for much of its history, the Legio Xestobiax has never fought as a whole but has always stood guard above those Arkhadian colonies and forge-fanes they were honour-bound to protect. , Ilotar Rex, fighting alongside other Imperial forces during the Great Crusade]] Theoretically, the Legion is commanded by a Grand Marshal as custom would dictate it, but the Legion's deployment leaves the Grand Marshal with little more than ceremonial or diplomatic duties, as in the field each Vigil is led by an officer with the rank of Princeps-Warden. Some of these Vigils have stood unchanged for many millennia and may exist for centuries apart from the greater Legion and its home garrison of Istiam Station. Their solitary duties has increasingly led each Vigil to develop tactics,deployments or configurations best suited for the kind of terrain they were occupying -- some of them even developing traditions and idiosyncrasies of their own that set them apart from the greater Legion. As such, maniples of the Legio Xestobiax are used to relying on themselves and prefer to operate as small, autonomous units. As a result, Princeps of the Iron Vigil tend to be more independent-minded than their colleagues from other Titan Legions. The Iron Vigil implicitly trusts the judgement of its Princeps and gives them considerably more command leeway than other formations of the Collegia Titanicus or the Adeptus Mechanicus. Because of the many Vigils it maintained, gatherings of all the Legion's Princeps-Wardens were troublesome to organise. However, the isolationist tendencies of the forge-fanes of Zhao-Arkhad and the Legion's lack of transport capacity made such events rare occurrences, even after Zhao-Arkhad's unification with the wider Imperium. During its many Terran millennia of isolation and solitary duty, the Legio Xestobiax has benefitted from its parent Forge World's acceptance of illicit practices in the domain of psykana-arcana and other related fields of study. To guarantee the survival of their homeworld, the Magi of the Arkhadian forge-fanes had delved deep into half-forgotten and poorly-understood lore dating back to the Age of Strife that concerned fusing organic components with the technological creations of the Adeptus Mechanicus. However, these Magi also studied the strange artefacts they scavenged from the hulks of vanquished Eldar Titans felled by the Iron Vigil. As such research had never been officially censured on Zhao-Arkhad, this led to the creation of proscribed techno-artefacts such as the Eminarii sub-type hybrid Battle-Automata. The Arkhadian forge-fanes tried to emulate the properties of the Wraithbone cores at the heart of every Eldar Titan. These strange devices are believed to conserve psychic imprints of their previous pilots, allowing the living crew to tap into the memories or even experiences of their forbears. In addition, Wraithbone cores are far more effective at controlling a Titan than the standard Mind Impulse Unit used by the Collegia Titanica. The Arkhadian Magi's efforts led to the creation of the Black Iron Core, which is still regarded as the greatest achievement of the Eminarii forge-fane and their Forge-Domini, Tacitus Proctor. These prototypes were fitted to the majority of the Iron Vigil's God-engines and had become commonplace by the time of the Battle of Prospero. The use of the Black Iron Cores allowed the god-engines of the Legio Xestobiax to operate with a far smaller crew than other Titans of an equivalent size class as well as enhancing the crew's reflexes and tactical prowess. By the time the Thousand Sons Legion rediscovered Zhao-Arkhad, the Black Iron Cores were still only prototypes. As part of the terms of their Imperial Compliance, a portion of the Legio Xestobiax would go on to serve within the Great Crusade, although due to their continued lack of transport for the Titans, their contribution was a modest one. With the new influx of materials, Zhao-Arkhad was finally able to expand the Legio Xestobiax 's fighting force, by either producing a limited number of new Titans on their own world, or receiving several new models as gifts from the larger Mechanicum. The Legio Xestobiax was expanded through the creation of a Prosperine Vigil, a new detachment that was sent to the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero to watch over a new sub-fane of the Arkhadian Mechanicum. It would be this Prosperine Vigil that would later be involved in the events of the Burning of Prospero. Whilst the entire Prosperine Vigil was ultimately destroyed during that battle, the Legio Xestobiax nevertheless bested and vanquished a detachment of the highly decorated Legio Mortis, which was at the time considered the most powerful Titan Legion of the entire Collegia Titanicus. Condemned by the highest echelons of the Imperium and the Mechanicum for siding with the first Space Marine Legion to defy the Emperor's will, the Legio Xestobiax was declared guilty of treason by association due to their allegiance to the Forge World of Zhao-Arkhad. True to their oaths, the remainder of the Legion -- believed to have numbered no more than 50 god-engines -- sided with their overlords of the Arkhadian Mechanicum but were little involved in the Horus Heresy, upholding their lone vigil and defending Zhao-Arkhad and its domains from those that would prey upon them. What truly happened during the Great Scouring is a matter of conjecture, and whilst the Legio Xestobiax was officially pardoned by the Imperium for not taking sides during the Heresy, the Legion was thoroughly investigated by a Metallican Assay taskforce and forced to relinquish all discovered hereteknical devices and technologies to the control of the newborn Adeptus Mechanicus. More recent records are almost devoid of any reference to the Legio Xestobiax other than that they have continued to uphold their ancient vigils into the present. Arkhadian Titan Cache In the late 41st Millennium, more than 33 ancient Titans in Legio Xestobiax livery were discovered entombed within a series of caverns on Zhao-Arkhad's southern continent. Effectively undamaged and still in possession of their proscribed Black Iron Cores, it is probable that these Titans had been concealed from the Metallican Assayers ten millenia earlier to protect their heretek technology. This discovery prompted members of the Arkhadian Mechanicus to attempt to reawaken these sleeping giants in total secrecy to claim their forbidden technology. Notable Campaigns *'The Burning of Prospero (ca. 004.M31)' - The involvement of the Legio Xestobiax in the events of the Fall of Prospero has almost been entirely forgotten, perhaps aided by the fact that the military hierarchy of the Mechanicum was loathe to acknowledge that one of its very best units, the Titans of the Legio Mortis (then still believed to be loyal to the Throne of Terra) could be defeated by what was regarded as an almost unknown Titan Legion from a backwater Forge World. Reinforcing the initial Censure Host under overall command of the Primarch Leman Russ, the Titans of the Legio Mortis were deployed outside of the planetary capital of Tizca with orders to clear the Arkhadian Mechanicum sub-fane present on the world. Believed nearly destroyed in the preliminary bombardment of the world by the Imperial Censure Fleet, the forge-fane had in fact weathered the assault almost unscathed, protected as it was by many hundreds of metres of soil and rock and its powerful array of Void Shields. Roused for war, the Titans of the Prosperine Vigil of the Legio Xestobiax emerged from their subterranean storage-bunkers before the great bulk-landers of the Legio Mortis touched Prospero's soil. While inside Tizca, the Thousand Sons valiantly fought back against the Space Wolves, the desert plains became the battleground of the Titans of the Mechanicum. Led by one of the Legio Mortis ' most highly-decorated veterans, Princeps Senioris Maldris Drane, the Legio Mortis was met by the full force of the Iron Vigil on Prospero, including their Secutarii ground-troops and the Taghmata Mechanicum of the Arkhadian forge-fane. The Legio Mortis had the advantage of both fielding more of the heavier ''Warlord''-class Titans and of greater experience, being all veterans of the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet. However, it quickly became apparent that the Legio Mortis and their Imperial Knight allies of House Malinax had vastly underestimated the Legio Xestobiax. Perhaps due to the advantage provided by their Black Iron Cores, the Titans of the Prosperine Vigil virtually annihilated the forces of the Death's Heads, and Princeps Senioris Drane was among the casualties. The Legio Mortis detachment was nearly wiped out, which required the Censure Fleet to deploy the elite forces of the Ordo Sinister against which the weakened Prosperine Vigil would utlimately prove powerless. Alhough ultimately defeated, the Prosperine Vigil of the Legio Xestobiax had shattered the myth of invincibility that surrounded the Legio Mortis. Legion Strength Though the Legion is noted for a relatively small number of God-engines, it was the Legio Xestobiax’s limited transportation capacities that saw it classified as a Tertius-grade Titan Legion. Like its parent Forge World of Zhao-Arkhad, the Iron Vigil has always suffered from a lack of space-worthy materials and its Titan conveyor fleet has been one of the smallest on record. By the time of the fateful attack on Prospero, the Legio Xestobiax is estimated to have been able to field less than one hundred Titans, none of which were of the most powerful [[Imperator-class Titan| Imperator-class]]. Lacking the capacities to produce its own Titan-engines on any significant scale, most of the god-engines of the Iron Vigil were tremendously old and dating back to the original settlement of the Zhao System. While the restoration of contact with the Imperium and the wider Mechanicum did improve the Legion's access to new engines and components, their numbers were slow to grow. In addition, most of the newer God-engines were devoted to the Prosperine Vigil and were subsequently all lost at the start of the Horus Heresy. It is also of particular interest that the Titans of the Prosperine Vigil were the first to be equipped with the ominous Black Iron Cores developed by the Eminarii forge-fane, although in the case of the Prosperine Vigil tenacious rumours continue to persist that Forge-Domini Proctor delved into even darker techno-arcana. As the onset of Warp Storms grew increasingly more common during the Horus Heresy, the Legio Xestobiax lost contact with some of its Vigils, leaving perhaps 50 Titans on Zhao-Arkhad and at Istiam Station. During the years of isolation, these remaining Titans seem all to have been modified by the Eminarii forge-fane. The majority of the Legio Xestobiax’s effectives were ''Warlord'' and ''Reaver''-class Titans. The Legion's Reavers benefited from unparalleled efficiency earned against the xenos raiders that plagued the Zhao colonies throughout their early years. The ''Warhound''-class and its cousins were very rare amongst the Legio Xestobiax’s ranks, mainly due to the Legion's lack of need for a Scout-Titan, as it essentially fought on the same battlegrounds it had watched over for millennia, whose terrain was well-known. Within the Iron Vigil the construction of Warhound-class Titans was regarded with scorn and as a waste of precious resources better used elsewhere. Notable Titans *''Ilotar Rex'' (''Warlord''-class Titan) - Pict-captures during the battle place the Ilotar Rex as one of the few Warlord-class Titans deployed by the Prosperine Vigil of the Legio Xestobiax during the Burning of Prospero. *''Munus Aeternum (Warlord-class Titan)'' - A crippled Warlord-class Titan that now rests in the vaults below the fane of the Supreme-Domini of Zhao-Arkhad and can be reliably traced to the Legion's founding. *''Septum Caelestis Ues'' (''Reaver''-class Titan) - While most of the Titans of the Prosperine Vigil had been newly commissioned, the Septum Caelestis Ues was a veteran of the Great Crusade which had attained considerable glory in several engagements. In particular, pict-captures have confirmed that the Septum Caelestis Ues’ kill-banners bore the unique glyph for a significant victory attributed specifically to this machine. Unfortunately, all other records regarding this victory have been lost. The Septum Caelestis Ues survived the brutal clash with the Legio Mortis on Prospero but would later be defeated by the Psy-Titans of the Ordo Sinister. The Septum Caelestis Ues was equipped with a carapace-mounted Apocalypse Missile Launcher, a Melta Cannon and a Titan-grade Powerfist. *''Sleepless Watcher'' (Reaver-class Titan) - The Sleepless Watcher is responsible for both the destruction of the Legio Mortis Warlord-class Titan Cadavaris Perdita and the death of its commander, Princeps Senioris Maldris Drane, who led the forces of the Legio Mortis to Prospero. The Sleepless Watcher decapitated the larger Warlord, thus killing both engine and crew. *'Artefact ZA01 (Unknown Titan Class)' - The first of the ancient Legio Xestobiax Titans to be rediscovered on Zhao-Arkhad in the late 41st Millennium, Artefact ZA01 was identified as a Battle Titan, albeit one with variations that matched no known configuration or class. Likewise, its true name also remains lost to the past. Notable Personnel *'Calvar Ibranum' - Calvar Ibranum was a Princeps-Warden of the Legio Xestobiax Prospero Vigil on the Thousand Sons Legion's homeworld of Prospero at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. *'Zavius '- A Titan Princeps without open affiliation to any Legion, Zavius was involved in the attempts to resurrect the ancient Legio Xestobiax Titans discovered hidden on Zhao-Arkhad's southern continent in the late 41st Millennium. He was killed attempting to interface with the ancient variant Titan known as Artefact ZA01. *'Atropos '- Atropos was the given designation of the Mechanicus Magi overseeing attempts to secretly reawaken the ancient Legio Xestobiax Titans discovered on Zhao-Arkhad's southern continent in the late 41st Millennium. Legion Appearance Legion Colours The Legio Xestobiax utilised a purple, white and silver panoply which was archetypical for the God-engines of the Iron Vigil. In recognition of the protection of its patron Forge World, the Legio Xestobiax utilised a unique ideograph representing the species or nature of threat against which they triumphed upon their heraldry, which was prominently denoted on their Princeps Honour Banners, with Kill Banners only denoting a particularly significant victory attributed to an individual God-engine alone. Legion Badge The Legio Xestobiax Titan Legion's badge is a triple-skull, a unique emblem, as is the chain motif frequented in the Legion's heraldry, representing their inviolable oath of the protection of Zhao-Arkhad. During the time of the Great Crusade, a more singular honour was the incorporation of the solar symbol of the Thousand Sons Legion rendered in gold, which marked a God-engine as one of the assigned warders of the Prosperine sub-forge. Sources *''The Horus Heresy - Book Seven: Inferno'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 32, 104-111, 172-174, 178-183 *''Inferno!'' Vol. 3, "The Spirit of Cogs" by John French, pp. 14-45 Gallery Legio Xestobiax_Honour Banner.png|''Legio Xestobiax'' Princeps Honour Banner of the ''Reaver''-class Titan Septum Caelestis Ues Legio Xestobiax_Kill Banner.png|''Legio Xestobiax'' Kill Banner of the ''Reaver''-class Titan Septum Caelestis Ues Category:L Category:Adeptus Mechanicus Category:Collegia Titanica Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Walkers Category:Dark Mechanicus